Overview
- Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown, New York, repaired a monarch’s damaged wing using a donor wing from a deceased butterfly.
- Director of wildlife rehabilitation Janine Bendicksen performed the five-minute procedure with contact cement, corn starch and a small wire for stabilization.
- The injured butterfly, brought in by Good Samaritan Dagmar Hoffdavis, was released after the repair and flew away from the center.
- Staff explained the outer portions of butterfly wings have no blood flow or nerve receptors, allowing a glued graft without causing pain.
- The viral footage has drawn global interest, with the center fielding inquiries as it shares guidance and highlights monarch migration and population declines.